iMove On
by typingfasterthanyou
Summary: After Sam and Freddie break up, Sam had no choice but to go to her mum for help. As usual this doesn't turn out as planned and the two confused lovers are stranded on other sides of the country. One question remains... will they ever move on?
1. Prologue

_CHIIING CHIIING_

_Sam and Freddie suddenly broke apart, hearing the ring of their worst nightmare._

_CHIIING CHIIING_

_They kept their arms firmly around each other, refusing to open their eyes._

_CHIIING CHIIING_

_They braced themselves for it._

_CHIIING CHIIING_

_The beginning of the end._

_CHIIING CHIIING_

_Nothing would ever be the same again._

_CHIIING CHIIING_

_Silence._

_They both stood up quickly, not looking one another in the eyes._

_Freddie thought about raising a hand for her to shake, but it seemed too formal._

_It all seemed too formal._

"_So…"_

"_So…"_

_The silence was broken, but neither knew what to say next._

"_This is it."_

_Sam's words were final; solemn; heart breaking._

"_It is."_

_His reply seemed weak in comparison. Ultimately, looking into her eyes was the wrong idea._

_Sam leaned in to press a tender kiss to his lips, savouring it to the last moment; just like their relationship. _

_His eyes closed, she turned away. He willed for her to turn, to change her mind; but she was Sam Puckett and her decision was final._

_He didn't dare to look again until the crack of door on wood echoed away._

"Maybe one day."

**COMING 2012**

**NEW STORY! I got the first two chapters written already, but I want to write more before actually posting; just giving you a taster of this new story… Leave a review with your thoughts **

**See you all in the new year **


	2. Chapter 1  Confessions to Carly

**Look everyone! Its 2012! This means (Dududududududuuuu) here is chapter one of iMove On, I hope you all enjoy it **

**Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schnieder, not me. It would be a bit strange if such a successful American tv show belonged to a 15 year old girl from England…**

**.**

Carly wandered into her apartment, with Spencer trailing behind. She switched on the light as she pondered why she allowed him to keep her at the "Pudgy Monkey Play Pen" until 2am. The brunette was so tired that she almost missed Sam who was curled up - asleep - on her couch. Carly smiled fondly as she assumed her best friend was dreaming of her happiness with Freddie, until she noticed her streaky mascara and distressed expression.

"Hey," She said softly, sitting down next to her and shaking Sam gently, "Wake up."

Spencer watched and understood right away what had happened, for he had gone through something similar some hours ago. He sighed and walked towards his room, hoping Carly would be able to stop Sam from murdering anybody.

"W… What?" Sam yawned, stretching her arms above her head, "Freddie?"

"No," Carly said, frowning a little, "It's Carly."

"Oh yeah… Hey Carls," She replied groggily, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"What happened?" Carly asked sympathetically, handing her a tissue from the box on the coffee table.

Sam looked as though she was struggling to remember, last night was just a blur of bodies, "I… Er…. We… Broke up."

Carly winced, even though this was what she was expecting. She started to consider what this meant for her; for iCarly. But she realised Sam was more important right now: "Why?"

"…You," She replied quietly, ripping the tissue to shreds in her hands.

"Me?" Carly exclaimed, keeping her voice down for the sake of her friend, "What did I do?"

This worried Carly. She was scared that Freddie's feelings for her had resurfaced again somewhere along the way. She was scared that he broke up with her because he loved her and not Sam. She was scared her best friends would always hate her for ruining their relationship.

"You were talking to Spencer," Sam said thickly and Carly breathed a sigh of relief, "We overheard, rethought out relationship and ended it."

"Just like that?" Carly inquired, sensing that something wasn't right.

Sam paused, "Yeah, just like that."

"What's up with the hickey then?" Carly asked, pulling back her blonde mane to show her pale neck more clearly.

"Parting gift?" Sam asked, laughing almost nervously, "Its late, you should go to bed."

"But-"

"No buts Carlotta, I'm fine!" Sam stood, pushing Carly towards the stairs, "Night."

"Night," Carly replied, hugging Sam briefly before clacking up the stairs in her heeled boots.

Sam watched her go, considering whether to spend the rest of the night here or go home. Looking back at the couch, she was just reminded of painful memories. The first time they had ever made out was there, in the spot she had just been sleeping on. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the regret and ran; not even bothering to pick of her stuff that was discarded on the floor. The door slammed behind her and the racket caused Freddie to come to the door; puffy eyed and dazed. But all he caught was a glimpse of was blonde hair whipping around the corner, before he ran a hand through his tousled locks and staggered back inside.

The dark, streetlamp lit roads were deserted; only the odd taxi zoomed past as Sam ran and ran, gradually coming into the "less well off" side of Seattle. The large apartment blocks turned into rundown flats and the road became riddled with potholes and rubbish. No a big deal for a street-hardened girl like Sam Puckett though. She weaved in and out of the familiar streets with ease, ending up stood outside a run-down semi that had one hazy light on downstairs.

This was the house Sam hadn't been back to in weeks. During their relationship Sam had spent every night in Freddie's room, which she crept into as soon as it was past his mom's 8pm bedtime. It now seemed like she would be "moving back in" with her mother. Of course she would pick up the stuff she left in Freddie's room and maybe even the stuff she left at Carly's. Maybe some time apart would be good for them all.

"Sammy!"

Sam opened the door slowly, but upon hearing her mom's cry ran quickly into the cramped living room.

"Oh Melanie! My babies!"

Pam Puckett sat on the floor, sprawled out amongst cushions and many days' worth of trash. Grasped in her right hand was a half empty glass of red wine, and the bottle for it was in her left; tipping sideways where her hand rested on the dirt carpet. She had pictures scattered around her, depicting Sam with her identical twin Melanie; dressed in gaudy outfits and strutting along stages.

Sam gingerly stepped around the items, pushing her way towards her mom. Hesitantly, she tapped her shoulder.

"W-what? Burglar! Thief!" Pam shrieked, throwing her glass to the ground and leaving it to shatter across the photos.

"No, No! Mom it's me!" Sam yelled, jolting her mother's shoulders forwards and backwards.

"Sam? Sammy?" Her voice shook as she took in her daughter, not noticing the identical black smudges under Sam's eyes, "You came back?"

Sam plastered a fake smile on her face, "Of course I did."

"Y-you left me!" Pam sobbed, throwing a wild slap at her, "You abandoned me!"

"No, I just had some time away, that's all," Sam replied in a patient tone; she was used to calming her mom down like this.

"I've been so lonely," She shuddered, tears still rolling down her filthy cheeks.

"I bet you have…" Sam said through pursed lips, seeing male clothes amongst the mayhem.

"W-why can't you be more like that!" Pam shouted, jabbing a finger at a photo fiercely, "My little girls!"

Sam knelt down slowly and wiped the red liquid from the photo. She took it between her fingers and examined the 7 year old Samantha it depicted. The girl was beaming and waving: hand clasped in the duplicate beside her. Sam placed the photo back on the ground gently and stood.

"I grew up, mom," She said softly, "Goodnight."

Pam slumped to the floor and watched as Sam tripped over her own feet to get up the stairs. Once again she took the picture of her girls into her hands.

"I want you to do pageants again!" She screamed after her, letting her eyes close and fell asleep; her head resting on the musty sofa.

.

The smell hit her before she remembered where she was. With the uncomfortable sheets, the sirens outside her window and smell like a male locker room; she could only be home. Sam's eyes shot open and last night came to her. The breakup. The time after "The breakup". The final ending. Carly. Running. Her mom. Pageants.

"Ugh!" She groaned, looking around the room grumpily. Her bedroom was the same as it had been since she was five: bright pink walls; Princess Curtains; an extra bed. The decoration had been Melanie's idea. But the only thing she didn't recognise was two grotty-looking brown suitcases piled on Melanie's old bed.

"Sammy! Breakfast!" Pam's voice floated up the stairs, "We have a big day ahead of us!"

This is when she realised something was really wrong. That was not her mom's "morning after" voice; she didn't sound in the least hung over. Plus, she was making breakfast? Pam's mornings usually consisted in sleeping in until twelve and then kicking out whoever ended up in her bed that night.

"Coming, mom!" Sam shouted, trying not to sound too anxious and confused.

.

Freddie stumbled into Carly's apartment at 8 o'clock that morning, wanting Sam to be there; not wanting Sam to be there. So when Carly was sat alone on the coach, dialling furiously on her phone he felt like going straight back across to his apartment; he really didn't want to have this conversation.

Nevertheless she noticed him, dropping her phone onto the couch as she stood up, "Freddie!"

"Hi," He said, flinching slightly, "She's not here?"

"No, have you seen her?" Carly replied quickly.

Freddie's eyebrows furrowed, "No, why?"

"She left – last night; without saying anything!" She explained, grabbing her phone, "And she's not replying."

Freddie stepped further into the apartment, noticing something lighting up on the floor beside him, "Is this her phone?"

"Oh!" Carly picked it up, recognising the "ham" background straight away, "What do you think happened?"

"Maybe she went home and left it here by accident?" Freddie offered, hiding his own concern.

"Yeah, yeah," She replied, sounding almost like she was trying to convince herself it was true.

The room seemed awfully quiet without Sam's explosive personality to fill it. As Freddie sat quietly next to Carly, he realised how little he had spoken to Carly over the past few weeks; their conversations had become less and less meaningful until they only spoke at school and iCarly rehearsals. He had used to think they were similar people, but now he wasn't so sure; he had nothing to say to her whatsoever.

Spencer appeared at the top of the stairs, still wearing his footsie pyjamas, "Hey guys! Why the long faces?"

"Sam's missing!" Carly replied; dropping her head into her hands.

"She's not missing," Freddie reminded her, "She's just not here."

Spencer looked troubled, moving closer to the teens, "Well, where could she be?"

"Home," Freddie said unflinchingly, trying not to remember the day he visited her "home".

"Sam has a home?" He replied, sounding lost and confused.

"Yeah…" Carly answered, rolling her eyes, "Now go get changed and get the groceries!"

"Fine!" Spencer groaned, sliding along the floor towards his room.

They sat back down in silence again, both avoiding thinking about where she could be if she wasn't home. A good couple of hours passed and they spoke of nothing more than what they would be doing on this week's iCarly and if the new series of Celebrities Underwater was starting this week or next. Freddie avoided the topic of breakup like the plague, knowing Carly was surely on Sam's side; even though he and Sam had decided they wouldn't make sides for her to take.

Despite the lack of topics for conversation and things to do, neither of them realised that Spencer had been gone for a fair few hours. So when the door burst open and Spencer ran in, they were actually surprised that he hadn't been in his room all this time.

"Carly!" Spencer yelled, throwing his bags down on the floor along with a package wrapped in brown paper, "Fred-dude!"

Carly stood up and laughed, "What is it?"

"I met…" He whispered, keeping them in suspense.

"Yees…" They whispered back in unison.

"A girl!" Spencer yelled, smiling widely, "She works at the grocery store so I stayed there all day, walking around and around, checking out my items and them doing it again!"

"Why am I not surprised…" Carly said, shaking her head.

"I got her number!" He exclaimed, shaking a scrap of paper around, "Oh, and some guy at the entrance to Bushwell gave me that."

Carly and Freddie followed his hand gesture towards the package lying on the floor. She leant down and picked it up; wiping it on her jeans in disgust.

"Why's it damp?" She asked, putting it to her ear and shaking it.

"I don't know but the guy gave me 5 dollars to bring it up here!" Spencer replied, shoving his hand in his pocket, "Hey, where's my wallet?"

"Looks like you were pickpocketed by the good Samaritan…" Freddie snorted, patting him on the shoulder condescendingly.

Carly rolled her eyes at her brother, whilst opened the packet with a neat little tear on the right side. The contents slid gracefully onto her other hand and she frowned at it; confused.

Freddie walked up behind her, "A blank cd?"

"Er," Carly replied, "Yeah."

"Maybe it's got something recorded on it!" Spencer cried.

The other two looked at him as if he was mad, but soon realised the man-child had a point.

"Let's try it!" He added, stretching his hand for Carly to give it to him.

Carly obliged, hence Spencer's girlish cry and bound toward the DVD player. As soon as he inserted the disk, the screen came to life and a flickering blurry picture of Sam came into focus.

.

**DRAMA!**

**So yeah, I'm in the middle of writing chapter 3. I have the plot for the chapter all ready and as soon as I've finished that I will update with Chapter 2, so within the next few days. If I get enough reviews it might even be tomorrow ;)**


	3. Chapter 2 I'm not coming back

**Hola Muchahas! Here's chapter two of iMove on! Please read the A/N at the end, it's very important **

**Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly, or the lyrics used below.**

_._

_Everything I can't be,__  
><em>_Is everything you should be,__  
><em>_And that's why i need you here,__  
><em>_So hear this now…_

_._

"_Let's try it!" He added, stretching his hand for Carly to give it to him. _

_Carly obliged, hence Spencer's girlish cry and bound toward the DVD player. As soon as he inserted the disk, the screen came to life and a flickering blurry picture of Sam came into focus._

_._

She was sat on the floor of what seemed to be Seattle airport. Her hair was untamed and her face was unmade up as she supported herself on the seat behind her; why she wasn't sat on it they didn't know. She had the all too familiar poker face painted on and she avoided looking directly at the camera.

"Sam?" Freddie gasped, turning his head to look at Carly who was biting her lip nervously, "Well press play!"

Spencer clicked the play button, muttering something about how he didn't know Sam's house was so big.

"_Hi." _The Sam on the screen said monotonously,_ "It's me, Sam. But you can see that obviously."_

Freddie stared unblinkingly at the screen, a million questions running through his head.

"_So, er, this is just to let you know that I won't be coming back; to Seattle I mean. It's a bit short notice, I know, but I thought about it and this seems like the only way forward. I packed my bags last night, after we- never mind. But yeah, this is me moving on; don't bother trying to find me, I've recorded this hours before Brian will give this to you,_" She said, saying it like she was reading off a script, _"By the way, he's a recovering thief."_

"Yeah," Spencer groaned, "We know."

"She can't hear you!" Carly stressed, hitting his hand softly.

"_I'm not going to tell you where I'm going, but I'm doing something for my mom. Maybe I'll see you all again, someday."_

The last sentence she spoke was the only one that showed emotion, when her voice broke as she said the last word. Sam stared steadily at the camera for a good five seconds before the screen went blank and the disk ejected itself with a low hiss.

The room was quiet; all you could hear was Carly's deep breaths. Freddie was frozen stiff with shock; he gawked at the black screen, barely breathing. She wasn't coming back. She was gone. She doesn't want him to find her.

"Sam!" Carly broke down crying, pressing her head onto the back of the couch, "Sam!"

Spencer watched awkwardly, not knowing whether to comfort her or just let her cry for her best friend. The whole room was in shock to the point of hysteria; Freddie was almost keeling over at the thought that he'd never see _his Sam_ ever again. When they broke it off he was sure that it wasn't the end, that one day they would get back together again and the iCarly world would be back in balance again. He was ready for any sort of reaction from Sam: violence; the silent treatment; verbal abuse. Anything but this.

.

_A few hours earlier_

"The airport?" Sam inquired scathingly, trudging behind her mom wearily.

Pam gave a knowing smile, "We're moving far away."

"Moving?" Sam shot back, coming to a halt in the large doorway.

"Did I not tell you? We're moving to California, where the big pageants are!" She replied cheerily.

This was just like her. She'd always just go along with whatever she wanted to be doing, not stopping to consider what it would mean for Sam. However, she had known that Sam would refuse the move if she knew right away; that was why she used the masquerade of a "holiday". Sam had been suspicious at first; never having been taken on one before, but still came to the airport with her.

"No, no, no! I am _not_ moving away!" Sam yelled, hitting out at the nearest passer-by in anger. The night before, she had figured that maybe if she stayed away from him for a while and sorted her life out a little they could get back together. Moving to California was not part of the plan.

"Come on, Sammy. This could be good for us! You could win lots of pageants, make us lots of money, and maybe even go into modelling or singing! Then we could buy a nice little condo by the beach and live in luxury for the rest of our lives!" Pam fantasised, the beautiful images in her head clouding over the obvious problem.

"Oh yeah, and live where in the meantime? What about money, food?" Sam shouted, snapping her mother out of her daydream, "What about my life here?"

"What life?" She sneered, snorting slightly, "You only have two friends, no decent work to your name and pass time by doing a silly internet web show!"

"iCarly is not silly! We get thousands of viewers each week!" Sam retorted and the growing crowd around them nodded.

A young child budded up, "I love iCarly!"

"Well obviously," Sam said ungratefully, turning her head back to Pam, "I'm not moving."

"Yes you are, and you're going to be happy about it!"

Pam stalked off towards the check in desk, whispering something into a nearby man's ear so he would carry the bags for him. She left Sam standing, seething in the middle of a huge crowd of people. They were all muttering, pointing at the blonde girl who was practically ripping her hair out in anger. She wanted to hit someone, kick them, beat them to the floor, but she knew that everyone knew who she was; bad publicity isn't something she wanted to leave as her final gift. Yes, she knew she would have to go with her mom; Pam had no chance of surviving alone in a big city like California.

And as she parted the crowd and stormed away Sam realised that this might just be what she needed, to get away from the stress and end of her relationship with Freddie. As soon as her mom's "make money fast" plan went to pot they would come back here, back to the house that was left empty in their rush to get away.

As she approached the desk, a lady dressed in airline smiled fakely, "So these are the bags you'd like to check in?"

"Yes," Sam's mom replied, elbowing her new "assistant" so he would hand them over.

"Please let me remind you that we are not responsible for any breakages during the flight and the items listed here are prohibited," The woman stated, tapping a laminated card with manicured fingers.

Suddenly Sam recalled something that was in her suitcase, "Wait!"

"What is it?" Her mom snapped impatiently.

"My camera's in that bag,"

This was no ordinary camera. This was the high tech camcorder that Freddie had bought her when he decided she should have more of an interest in video and editing. She had only used it a couple of times around Carly's apartment, videoing anyone and everyone that was about; just to be annoying. Sam knew that if it broke, she'd lose even more of Freddie than she already had.

The airline worker handed over one of the bags with "Samantha Puckett" labelled on it. Sam ripped it open and ruffled through the contents until she reached the camcorder case. Then it was shoved into the depths of her carry-on bag; nestled between fat cake wrappers and peppy cola cans.

"Have a nice day!" The woman called after them as the two blondes walked away.

Sam spent the next few hours waiting for their flight eating the entire contents of her bag, upon noticing that you could buy more food on the plane. She wandered around the cavernous room restlessly, very aware that she had forgotten to do something. This slipped her mind though as she watched a tall; slightly rough-looking man enter the room. He walked over to her mom and lifted her into the air in an embrace.

"Sam! Sammy!" Pam cried, running as fast as she could in stiletto heels, the man trailing behind her.

"Yo," Sam grunted through a mouthful of food, "Who's the dude?"

"This is Brian! He's coming to California with us!" She squealed, hanging onto his arm, "I'm sure I mentioned him a while ago, before he went-"

"-To jail?" Sam asked, rolling her eyes, "The thief?"

"Recovering," He added, winking at Sam in a way that made her stomach turn.

"He has an apartment in Cali'!" Pam said, diffusing the tension with an attempt to sound cool.

"_The 777 flight to California has been delayed for four hours."_

"You're kidding me!" Pam yelled at the invisible man, stomping away and sitting down in a seat.

A moment of inspiration came to Sam; she realised that she hadn't told Carly or Freddie where she was and what was happening. She rummaged through her pockets and then her bag but couldn't find her phone.

"Holy crab," She cursed, remembering leaving it at Carly's the night before. Her hand was still in her bag; subconsciously running her fingers over the coarse fabric of the camcorder case. Sam came up with an idea, sitting down on the polished floor and getting out the camcorder. Quickly, she composed herself, feeling her face slipping into one free of emotion as she ran through what she was going to say. She pressed record shakily.

"Hi. It's me, Sam. But you can see that obviously. So, er, this is just to let you know that I won't be coming back; to Seattle I mean. It's a bit short notice, I know, but I thought about it and this seems like the only way forward. I packed my bags last night, after we- never mind. But yeah, this is me moving on; don't bother trying to find me, I've recorded this hours before Brian will give this to you - by the way, he's a recovering thief. I'm not going to tell you where I'm going, but I'm doing something for my mom. Maybe I'll see you all again, someday."

It took a few attempts for her to record this without showing her feelings, Sam had never used to be such a sap, but now she couldn't help the emotion spilling out of her. She rubbed at her eyes fiercely as she walked to the airport's electronics shop that she always thought to be useless, until now. Quickly, Sam bought a blank CD and rendered her video onto it using a trial computer.

"Hey, Brian, do me a favour?" She asked, jogging toward where he sat with her mother, "Take this to Bushwell apartments and give it to the first person from iCarly that goes in or out."

"What's iCarly?" He asked rudely, snatching the paper bag Sam had put the CD in.

"Seriously?" She asked, raising her eyebrows, "Any of these people:"

Sam replayed one of the videos she had taken a few days prior. It showed Carly, Sam and Freddie sat on the couch; watching Spencer tell a story. Brian squinted at the small screen and nodded.

"I'll be back before the plane leaves, I promise," He spoke to Pam, just before sticking his tongue down her throat. Sam turned away, disgusted, and when she turned around again he was walking away whilst her mom was retouching her thick makeup.

"Here's to our new life, darling," Pam said, blowing a kiss at her daughter.

.

**Oooh, what will happen next? Review to find out!**

**So I made a trailer for this story on youtube under the account littlemissfizzy. The link is www. youtube /watch?v=H_scO923RLQ (without the spaces). Please, please, please watch it and give me feedback? If you do, tell em and I'll mention you in the next chapter!**

**Shoutout to geekquality for already watching it! Thank you so much!**

**Until next time **


	4. Chapter 3 Leak from their eyeballs

**Hi guys, here's me with another update this chapter is as little melodramatic in places but I'm just setting y'all up for the next few chapter and such. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly or the lyrics used below.**

_._

_When you try your best but you don't succeed_

_When you get what you want but not what you need_

_When you feel so tried but can't sleep_

_Stuck in reverse…_

.

Freddie returned to this world with start. For a moment he lay still, staring at the white ceiling with wide eyes. For it had been such a realistic dream, he still wondered if it had happened or not. Freddie hoped it hadn't with all his heart. Slowly the unearthly stench of a room which hadn't been left for the past 7 days filtered through his nostrils and he groaned, sinking further under his covers.

"Freddie-bear, please come out and have a shower," Mrs Benson's voice wavered through his door hesitantly, "Or at least have something to eat?"

He didn't bother to reply. The only person he ever spoke to was Carly, when she ventured into his room once a day; but even then he just used monotonous, one-word answers. The mental image of Sam, lying dead on a cold slab somewhere popped back into his head and he shivered, trying to convince himself it wasn't real. _It was just a dream._ Suddenly a large spasm racked through his body. _What if she was dead?_

He hadn't seen her in over a week, since she set of on a plane headed out into the unknown. Anything could have happened since then! _What if his 'dream' was really a vision? _

Quickly, Freddie rolled out of his bed onto the floor full of dirty laundry. The messy room was strange for him in general, but had been the norm for the past week or so. It was the reason his mother was afraid to come in his room.

"Fredward? Are you all right?"

Once again he ignored her, rushing to pull on the first shirt and pair of jeans he could find. His hand brushed on one of Sam's penny tees that she'd left there once, as he stared at it his hand subconsciously rubbed the soft material, until he came to his senses and remembered what he was doing.

Within minutes he was out of the apartment and bursting into the one next door.

"Carly!" He barked; his voice a little hoarse after a week without speech.

She came running down the stairs, "Freddie!"

"!" He yelled, the words all merging together in his rush to get them out of his mouth.

"..What?" Carly asked as she rubbed her temples.

"Sam might be dead!" Freddie cried, lying face down on the couch.

Carly screamed so loud that the whole building could probably hear. Consequently, Spencer appeared at the top of the stairs in full responsible guardian mode.

"What's wrong? Is someone hurt? Are you okay, Carly?" He gabbled, poking random parts of her body like it would make a difference.

"Sam's dead!" She sobbed, head in hands.

Freddie lifted his head, groaning, "No, no, no, I said she _might_ be dead!"

"Might be?" Carly screamed, "How can she "might be" dead?"

"We haven't seen her in a week! Anything could have happened!" He replied, wondering how they could not have caught on.

"You're saying that because we haven't seen her, automatically the worst possible thing must have happened!" Carly replied, sniffling in disbelief.

Spencer jumped off the stairs, looking conflicted. "Using that rule, she could also be pregnant…"

Carly gasped and looked at Freddie through narrowed eyes.

"What? No!" He complained, "Not by me!"

_Not by me_. Freddie wondered what he'd just said. They'd only been broken up for a week and she could be pregnant by another guy already? No, Sam wasn't that sort of girl… But what if she'd been _raped?_ He shook his head, willing himself to get rid of these thoughts. Carly was right, he was just jumping to extreme conclusions – possibly because of his lack of fresh air recently.

It wasn't until he stopped shaking his head violently that he noticed the strange stares he was collecting. Carly and Spencer had both stopped their list of things that could have happened to Sam, when his strange head movements caught their attention.

Freddie glared back at them, knowing full well why they were confused but did it anyway for lack of other option. Reflecting back, this really hadn't been his week. In fact, it had been possibly the worst week of his existence, so he did what seemed logical and walked out. Ignoring his mother who was attempting to wash him with a sponge as he passed, he quickly stomped to his room and locked the door. Leaving him to his own fantasies where Sam came back and nightmares where she didn't.

.

_One week earlier_

"_Flight 777 to California had landed, please exit the craft from the nearest available exit. Thank you for flying with us and the whole team wishes you a pleasant day."_

The tinny, loud voice that reverberated from various loudspeakers jostled Sam awake. She became quickly aware that her face was pressed against the small, cool window and her legs were resting on something warm and squishy that felt suspiciously like a fat man's stomach. Grudgingly, she prised her eyelids open and the first thing she distinguished was bright blue and green. Soon she realised she was looking at the open sky and lush greenery out of the window and groaned.

"Excuse me?"

Rubbing her eyes, Sam looked to locate the rude voice that had pulled her out of her self-pity and was promptly face to face with an angry looking fat man. Now Sam had made fun of angry fat men many times, finding them to be "comedic gold", but this man looked as though he could pummel her to the ground in an instant. But yet, many of the people who _looked _like they could pummel her to the ground usually couldn't, Sam was a lot stronger than she looked.

"What?" She grunted bluntly, crossing her sneakers on his belly.

His small eyes narrowed further, gesturing down at her feet.

"Oh," She gasped sarcastically, "Are my feet bothering you?"

The man raised his eyebrows, "Yes, they have been for the whole flight. Now can you get off me so I can leave?"

"But we were just getting to know each other!"

He just gave her a sour look before standing and pushing her legs away in the same movement. The man made sure to hit Sam maliciously with his hand luggage at least twice, before exiting the plane with a huff. Sam grabbed her tatty dark grey rucksack prior to leisurely strolling down the aisle and the stairs, at the expense of the impatiently waiting cleaning staff.

Pam Puckett and her new fella stood arm-in-arm amid the busy Californian airport, having already been through security. Sam cringed the moment she saw them; Brian's dishevelled clothing and various tattoos contrasting with Pam's tacky, revealing attire and bleached hair to create a walking stereotype of the typical "chav". In this moment, Sam realised how much Carly had rubbed off on her since she wouldn't have usually been bothered about looks and public perception.

As soon as she had been through the metal detector and searched for harmful items (as was requested because of the last plane she boarded), she was reunited with her suitcase and mom. Brain too, but she didn't feel he was important enough to consider. The three of them clambered into the back of a taxi, with a driver that stared at Sam in such a way that made her feel uncomfortable, before setting off along the sun bleached roads lines with palm trees and flowers.

"So where are we going?" Sam asked through a mouthful of fat cake (chocolate fudge flavour!)

"Brian's apartment," Pam replied excitedly, squeezing his leg in a very non-PG manner.

Sam coughed, "Ack."

But her disgusted reply was unheard, as Pam proceeded to move her hand further up Brian's leg and kiss him with ferocious force. Sam sighed and stared out of the window, resting her head in her hands as she ignoring strange perverted remarks by the taxi driver. The car journey passed at a snail's pace, Sam was close jumping out of the fogged up windows onto the baking tarmac when the car shuddered to a stop. The look of the 6 block high building was not dissimilar to those of which Sam had stayed in on her mother's various exploits across America: it had many broken windows; an excess of graffiti and vandalism; trash scattered everywhere across the browning grass; and a naked hobo lying across two bins.

A loud noise that sounded like a plunger being pulled out of a sink sounded to Sam's right, "Home sweet home, baby."

Brian's apartment was on the top floor and of course the place didn't have a lift, although it did have a mysterious cavern where the sounds of two people grinding against each other echoed out of. This meant Sam was forced to carry hers and her mom's suitcases up six flights of stairs, since Brian found it "romantic" to try to carry Pam up and over the threshold. Neither Pam nor Brian listened to Sam when she repeatedly complained that it was only after marriage that you carry the woman over the threshold.

The flat that Brian presented to the Pucketts consisted of a cramped living room with adjoining kitchenette; a room that Sam guessed was an extremely dirty bathroom and one bedroom.

"Where do I sleep?" Sam demanded, wrinkling her nose at the peculiar smell floating out of a large crack in the fridge.

Brian winked and strode towards the grotty sofa, which opened with a clunk, "Here."

"You have got to be kidding me," She muttered under her breath, partly because off the sleeping arrangements and partially because Brian had picked up her mom again.

For the first time in a long time, Sam was changed into her pyjamas (One of Freddie's shirts that was "missing and shorts) and in "her bed" before midnight. During their relationship, Sam and Freddie had video chatted until the early hours of the morning so Sam had great difficulty stopping herself from grabbing her laptop from her suitcase and logging into Skype. She didn't want anyone back in Seattle to know where she was until her head was sorted out. This didn't stop the thoughts of video chatting Carly or Freddie, telling them to jump in Spencer's car and rescue her right now. But this was mostly because of the moaning and banging that was coming from both the bedroom and what she assumed to be the cavern downstairs.

And as she stared at the musty ceiling, avoiding thinking about the clatters and shouts that wavered in though the broken window, she wondered how she got here. Of course she remembered the exact evens that lead her to a rundown apartment in California, but she questioned _why me?_ Sam never had a perfect life; her mom was a drunk, a prostitute, a druggie; her former home was in the worst part of Seattle, her new one was in what seemed to be the crime centre of California; her dad was her mom's former pimp and left when Sam was only 5. Why did these things only ever seem to happen to her? Sure, Carly didn't have a mom and Freddie didn't have a dad but they both lived in stable, comfortable homes with guardians (however crazy) that loved them. It was times like these that Sam felt the need to cry, but Pucketts don't cry; they just leak from their eyeballs.

**.**

**Heheh, is it bad that I'm in love with the last line of this chapter? I wrote this a while ago so I just read it again and it made me giggle **

**Thankyou to everyone who has watched my trailer, especially to xx.I' **

**Please give me feedback?**


	5. Chapter 4 A vat of magenta paint

**I don't know if I should be apologising to you guys or not, but since I cannot remember the last time I updated I probably should be. The next chapter trouble and I don't like o this one has been giving me to update unless I have two chapters ready. But then a sudden wave of inspiration came to me and I've been writing in between dance rehearsals all day.**

**I'm sorry this chapter's pretty short, it doesn't quite make up to the 2000 words mark but the next one is over 2300 and that's before I go through, edit and add in new parts. Also, Freddie's pretty absent in this chapter but I didn't think you'd want a long winded description of him sitting, alone, in his room all day. **

**Disclaimer: So, I don't seem to have ownership for iCarly or the brilliant song featured below; Foundations by Kate Nash. If you haven't heard it then go look it up, now!**

_._

_My fingertips are holding onto the cracks in our foundations_

_And I know that I should let go_

_But I can't_

_._

_A week later_

Sam awoke in the same bed, in the same grungy apartment, with the same sirens outside and the same draught coming in through the same crack in the window. She felt no different to when she arrived a week ago, only less clean and maybe a little more bitter, and nothing had changed. The first week In LA had not been the rich superstar lifestyle that her mom had pictured, it had just consisted of lounging around in the tiny living room for hours on end and then going out to raunchy nightclubs to get hammered. Sam had been left in the apartment alone every night when she and Brian had gone out and, even though Sam put herself up as this tough, fearless girl, the strange sounds and loose lock on the door made her feel very uneasy. With every hour that went by it became harder and harder to resist logging into her iCarly account and putting up a video pleading for help, she wanted to scream, to shout _I'm here, come get me!_ But it's only fair to let him move on.

Suddenly the sounds of the squeaking mattress in the bedroom slowed down to a stop, leaving Sam with a couple of moments silence before the door flung open and Pam staggered out. She had a thin, leopard print dressing gown on and her blonde hair was matted and tangled. Brian didn't exit the room hence the door slamming closed.

"Hey Sammy," Pam breathed, using her fingers to try to untangle her bleached tresses, "Sleep well?"

Sam gave her a bitter look, "I would have if I wasn't on this stupid sofa bed, you and Brian weren't at it all night, there wasn't a freaking broken window letting in the cold and we weren't here!"

"LA is good for us, I'm sure you'll settle down!" Her mom replied, sounding as though last night's drink was still in her system.

"Good for your sex life maybe," Sam scoffed, grumbling irritably under her breath.

"Excuse me," She replied, narrowing her thickly lined eyes, "I brought you here to La for a better life, I give you a new home, a new father figure, a chance to start again; and this is how you repay me?"

Sam flinched, looking up at her angrily, "A new father figure? He will never replace my dad."

"Your father left us; he left me alone to raise twins!" Pam shrieked, furrowing her botoxed forehead furiously.

"Look what happened to Melanie, I'm the only one that bothered to stick around!" Sam growled, "And you drove him to it!"

She sucked in a deep breath, "And how did I do that then?"

"I may have been only six, but I saw those men you brought into the house each night dad was away. Melanie and I would sit; frightened to death of what was happening in the room next door. We heard the argument before dad left; it will probably haunt me until I die that I didn't get the chance to say goodbye. You ruined our family."

And with that, Sam pulled on a dark hoody and a pair of grey vans before leaving the flat, slamming the door with a loud crash. The stares of other tenants followed her as she tore down the stairs, bounding over discarded needles and numerous amounts of other rubbish which was littered across the dirty floor. Sam had no idea where she was going, what she was going to do; she just knew she had to leave. She couldn't go back to Seattle, she was sure, since she had no money and no means of transport other than her own two feet.

But as she passed the graffitied sign that bore the words "Blackfield flats" she realised she would eventually end up back there. She had little money, no clean clothes and there was no way she could leave her mom here alone. It was obvious to Sam, at least, that Brian was just in it to drain Pam of all she had and all she did have was Sam (plus a bag of old engagement rings). Without Sam's optimistic pageant hopes he would probably kick Pam out onto the streets and Sam didn't want her going down _that road_ again.

.

"_Maybe I'll see you again, someday."_

Once again the video that was going round and round on Freddie's laptop came to a stop, pausing on Sam's poker face which only showed the slightest bit of emotion in the eyes. On a tab behind it was the iCarly website; they hadn't aired once since Sam's departure and Freddie was currently sat in his dark bedroom, psyching himself up to record a message telling the audience what had happened. Rubbing his strained eyes, the tired brunette touched the reply button; watching Sam come to life again before his eyes.

The week prior had passed by him in a daze; a pile of various homework sheets and textbooks from the days he had actually bothered to go to school were shoved into a corner of his desk, untouched. Freddie knew he was worrying his mother and Carly, giving everything up for a girl who wasn't even here anymore, but he couldn't help it. Everything seemed pointless without his Blonde Haired Demon.

.

Sam wandered along the streets of LA, wondering how these girls could totter around silly little boutiques buying designer clothes they don't need, when her and her mom were having to live in a place like Blackfield to try and have a _better_ life. The bleached hair and masses of expensive jewellery made her feel disgusted as the blasts of fancy perfume choked her. Suddenly Sam's head snapped up from staring at her trainers; who would thrive in a place like this? Then another comprehension dawned on her; where is her boarding school?

The clacking of heels pulled her out of her thoughts; "Samantha!"

"Melanie," Sam nodded irately, letting the all too familiar twin pull her into a tight hug. Melanie was dressed just as Sam expected; like a teenage beauty queen who fell into a vat of magenta paint.

"What are you doing here?" She squealed, flicking her blonde hair off her shoulder with a tip of her head.

Sam made a noise of discontent, "Mom has a new boyfriend."

"And he lives here? Where? My boarding school is in Beverly Hills and-"

"-Whoa, whoa, whoa. This is _mom's _new boyfriend we're talking about. He lives in a crummy flat in the most drug-ridden area I've ever seen." Sam explained, rolling her eyes, "The closest to Beverly Hills is the woman downstairs called Beverly who gives out free 'blowies' for a dollar."

"Too much information, sis." Melanie replied, cringing.

"Don't call me sis," Sam groaned, "I don't want people to know we're related!"

Her sister giggled at her duplicate, "Too late for that!"

She just sighed, turning away from Melanie and walking towards a hot dog stand. Little did she know; Melanie had missed having her around, plus she was feeling particularly persistent that day.

"Hey," Melanie called, scurrying after her, "How's Carly… and… _Freddie_?

The girlish giggle and hesitant way she said Freddie's name made Sam want to knock her out, "Fine."

"We're they fine with you just leaving? How long have you been here?"

"A week, er, I didn't tell them," Sam replied, fishing a dollar out of her pocket to pay for a crudely made hot dog.

Melanie gasped melodramatically, "Why not?"

"It all happened a bit fast," She said through a mouthful of hot dog, "Just gonna do a few pageants and then convince mom to let me go home."

"Pageants?" Melanie asked, gasping again, "My best friend from boarding school does those! I'm doing the next one with her!"

"Who's your friend?" Sam replied, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"LeAnne," Melanie recounted, "LeAnne Carter."

"LeAnne Carter!" Sam yelled, seething, "That's your best friend?"

Melanie couldn't see what the big problem was, LeAnne was sweet and nice; everything she'd wanted from her sister but never got.

"She's my arch-rival, my nemsis! How could you?"

"LeAnne's adorable! She's so sweet!" Melanie gushed, trying to ignore the venomous glares she was racking up.

Sam literally growled, "I hate her."

Sam's attempts to make Melanie see the 'evil' in LeAnne were fruitless, she just couldn't comprehend what her sister hated about her, the same way Sam couldn't see what Melanie saw in her. Suddenly, a high pitched noise that Sam realised was music blared out of Melanie's shiny pink tote bag.

"…_Hello?"_

"_Oh hiiiiiiii!"_

"_Just on Rodeo Drive with my sis,"_

"_Yeah, Sam!"_

"_We were just talking about you!"_

"_See you in a bit, byeeee!"_

The conversation was full of squeals and the kind of obnoxious talking that didn't sit well with Sam. Furthermore, her part in the conversation worried her; was she talking to LeAnne? Her suspicions were confirmed with her second to last statement and she met them with a nauseated whine.

"Guess who's coming to meet us!"

.

After many hours of staring at the screen, finally Freddie brought himself to typing out a short message that said:

'_**Dear viewers,**_

_**iCarly is sorry to report that we must postpone all future shows for the times being. There have been certain events that have taken place which have led to this decision and we will be keeping you updated.**_

_**Yours, Carly Shay and Freddie Benson.'**_

He couldn't bring himself to type what 'certain events' had taken place, but he decided that only signing his and Carly's name on the end would tell the viewers that Sam wasn't available right now. And sure enough the comments came flooding in from worried viewers.

**SEdDieFAn**

**What's happened to Sam? Why isn't this from her as well? What will I do without icarlyyyyyyyy?**

**IcarlyismyWORLD**

**From Carly and Freddie? Missing someone? WHATS HAPPENED?**

**iloveyouGIBEEEEEH**

**RIP iCarly, come back to us soon. Wait…. Where's Sam!**

Freddie would usually reply to each and every comment that he could manage but this time he just logged out quickly. The tired tech producer didn't want to think about what happened, never mind tell thousands of people. He didn't want them all to know how stupid he'd been. How he'd let the best thing in his life go…

.

**Rereading this I've realised that the drama is in the middle of the chapter which means there's no cliffhanger :-/ Review anyway?**

**Until next time, xxx**


	6. Chapter 5 Oh hell no

**Hey guys, sorry it's been a while, school and life in general have been giving me hell. (Figure of speech, I guess it's not too bad). This was supposed to have been posted on valenines day, which gives you an indication of how long I've been working in the chapter after this one, despite it still being only around 1300 words.**

**But no fear, this one is over 2300 words and has quite a lot jam packed in there, if you read between the lines a bit. I know seddie is lacking in this story, due to the small matter of a few thousand miles, but I want them to "meet" again in a couple of chapters **

**Disclaimer: Me no own iCarly **

**.**

Before she knew it Sam was traipsing along Rodeo Drive accompanied by her sister, who she hates, and LeAnne Carter, who she despises. There had been many attempts at conversation by LeAnne directed at her, but she met them with vague grunts and even the occasional finger if her questions were that stupid. The obnoxious chattering of the two other girls was ringing in Sam's ears and she wished for nothing more than to be rid of them, but every time she made a break for it they chased after her as fast as they could in their silly little heels.

Sam groaned the moment Melanie's head turned towards her; "Hey, sis?"

"Ugh," She whined, pulling a face, "What?"

"I haven't seen mom in ages, why don't we go see her?" Melanie asked, smiling as if this was a brilliant idea.

"Ooh yes, I'd love to meet your mother Samantha!" LeAnne added, clapping her perfectly manicured hands together gleefully.

"_Ooh yes, I'd love to meet your mother Samantha!_" Sam mocked under her breath.

"Hmm?" LeAnne asked, "Did you say something?"

"No."

For reasons unbeknown to her, Melanie and LeAnne managed to drag Sam back to Blackfield (as long as they bought her another hot dog, of course.) To say the real-life Barbies looked out of place was an understatement, since the harsh dark atmosphere of the flats was a complete opposite to their mishmash of pink and purple perfectness. Of course Sam would never admit that they were 'perfect', only boring people have no flaws and flawed people happen to have less irritating personalities.

The sound of her mom and Brian's apartment hit them before they even reached the door; banging and shouting that seemed to echo around the cold corridors.

"I've just gotta warn you, Melanie," Sam said, saying her name snidely, "Mom's got worse since your last visit."

Melanie gasped, "Worse?"

Sam nodded gravely; trying not to laugh at LeAnne's confused face. It was obvious Melanie had never informed her _boarding buddies_ about her mom.

The door swung open before either girl had the chance to knock, revealing Pam looking bedraggled and worried; just about to run out of the flat. The teens blocking the way startled her and she backed up slightly, bumping into an angry-looking Brian.

"What's going on?" Sam asked confidently, frowning at the man who stood before her.

He seemed to calm down a little, seeing the pretty girls; Brian even attempted a smile which seemed creepy on his haggard face.

"Nothing, girls," He said, his voice bittersweet, "Isn't that right babe?"

Pam was pulled to his side by his snakelike arm, jostling into place. Her red-rimmed eyes flickered across the faces of the girls, trying to take steady breaths; "Of course."

"We just had a little… disagreement," Brian added, shrugging his shoulders.

"Nothing to worry about," She said, looking as though there was everything to worry about.

The atmosphere was very awkward, Melanie was distraught seeing her mother that way; Sam was fuming; LeAnne was still astonished and the couple before them were stiff and uncomfortable.

"So Melanie's here," Sam said lamely and her twin nodded her head quickly.

"Hi darling, come in…" Pam said nervously, looking at Brian questioningly.

The five of them edged into the dingy apartment and Sam observed as Melanie and LeAnne's expressions changed from sombre to repulse as they took in the bare walls, piles of rubbish and the excruciating smell of decay. Here, they looked even more out of place; like they were in a TV show or someone had written it into a story. LeAnne had obviously lived the pampered life of a princess and Sam could literally see it dawn on her that not everyone had a different maid for every chore they don't do.

"So…" Pam said, looking very small under Brian's arm which was enclosed around her shoulders, "How is school, Melanie?"

The girly Puckett sister's eyes gleamed; something she could talk about, "It's fabulous! All the facilities are so advanced and the teachers are amazing! It really teaches you about how to be a lady with the special pageant classes that the girls take whilst the boys do wresting, or something. I love it!"

Suddenly, Brian sat up straight.

"That sounds lovely, Mel-" Pam said before being shoved to the side by a large hairy arm.

"-Pageant classes you say?" Brian asked, a strange glint in his eyes, "Well Samantha here will be starting pageants soon, earning her way and all."

"Y-yes, pageant classes," Melanie stuttered, faltering under the gaze of the older man.

LeAnne didn't see anything strange going on, so she gave a beaming smile, "The pageant classes are _so _informative, they really teach you how to be feminine."

"How about we enrol Sammy?" He asked Pam, his tone demanding and hard.

"Don't call me Sammy; I am not going to a stupid prissy boarding school!" Sam proclaimed angrily, "No offence to Mel' and all the other prissies of the world."

"How could we afford it?" Pam asked timidly, glancing around the dump of a room.

Brian smirked, "I'm sure we can pull something together."

.

Freddie walked into Ridgeway high school for what felt like the first time in forever. The walls were the same, the people were the same, but something was missing. And he knew just what it was.

"And then he asked me if I wanted to go to the mall!" He recognised a voice that was coming from somewhere above his head. Freddie walked a few steps further into the building and looked up to see Carly Shay sat at the top of the steps, surrounded by the "popular" girls of Ridgeway. These were the girls who did nothing but talk about boys and stupid reality TV shows; who cried if they broke a nail but could insult a girl to the point she'd be crying herself. Sam had always hated them, calling them princess nubs and manicured dogs. Why Carly was with them was beyond his comprehension.

"Hey! Hey, Freddie!" Her voice called out and he glanced up again to see her running towards her, "You're here!"

His breath was slightly knocked out when she enveloped him in a hug, "Yeah, I decided to stop moping."

The sounds of chattering from Ridgeway's finest reminded him of why he'd been so confused. As soon as Carly released him from her arms he took a step back and really looked at her; something seemed different. Her hair which was usually natural and slightly wavy at the tips was now straightened to perfection and held with a beaded headband; she wore a revealing top and miniskirt, complete with skin coloured tights and pumps; her makeup was more obvious and her pale complexion was more tanned. Carly had always been the girlish one of the "iCarlies" but this was ridiculous; he'd only been absent for a week!

"So, who are your new friends?" He asked slightly hesitantly, with a sideways glance to the girls.

"Oh!" She gasped, giggling slightly, "There's Dana, Francesca, Chantelle, Laura, Abi, Olivia, Katelyn, Rose, Georgina, Grace and Sophie; I needed someone to hand out with since you and… her aren't here!"

"And you found nine…" Freddie replied unenthusiastically, feeling more uncomfortable by the minute.

One of the girls with long red hair called Carly over, who obliged. She whispered excitedly in the brunette's ear with large gestures down the steps and to the other girls. Carly broke out into high pitched laughter and ran back to where Freddie was stood, leaning against the lockers.

"Guess what!" She squealed, shaking his arm happily.

Freddie peeled her arm off of his and groaned, "What?"

"Francesca was thinking, since you're single now, that you are looking, like, really hot! So she was just wondering if you'd, like, want to go on a date with her – this Friday night!"

Subsequently, he was having a hard time figuring out what she'd said. He remembered words like "hot" and "date" but he found it very unlikely Carly wanted to go on a date with _him; _he just wasn't ready for excited teenage girl speech yet, "Wha-?"

"You. Francesca. Date. Friday night?" Carly split up the words like she was speaking to a mentally incapacitated minor.

"What? I don't even know Francesca!" Freddie replied, frowning.

"I'll go get her!"

"Carly I don't think I'm ready for-"

Freddie couldn't get the words out before Carly was hurrying off to get a girl he wasn't interested in whatsoever. He watched as she re-entered the gaggle of girls and "ooh" noises erupted from the area. Soon enough Carly was back with a blushing redhead in tow.

"Freddie, Francesca. Francesca, Freddie," Carly introduced the two, smirking slightly because she mistook Freddie's frown for embarrassment.

"I know who you are," Francesca gushed, flipping her hair off her designer clothes clad shoulder.

He did his best to plaster a smile on his face, "Nice to meet you."

.

In little more than an hour, Brian had got the number for her school form Melanie, rung up and arranged an interview. Sam didn't even get a say in this and one of the things she resents most is other people trying to control her.Who the hell was Brian to tell her how to live her life and where she must live it? But on the downside the older man, as much as Sam hated to admit, was much strong than she was and a few finger shaped bruises later she was dragged, kicking and screaming, to "Miss Maudrey's Academy for Talented Teens".

A blonde haired woman who didn't look a day over 25 greeted them at reception, "Hello and welcome to Miss Maudrey's Academy for Talented Teens, do you have an appointment?"

"Yes, under Brian Hopkins," He gave another smile which made Sam shiver; she hated him with all she had.

She gave a few taps on her fancy computer and smiled, "Yes, of course. Please take a seat, Miss Maudrey will be with you momentarily."

The mismatched group sat down on the red velvet seats that outlined the edge of the sunny room. Various plaques and cabinets containing trophies that students had won covered the walls along with photos of sports, drama, dance and every other team you could think of. LeAnne jumped up again straight away and scanned the room, pointing out every trophy, photo and plaque she was on/had won; she had no idea that no one actually cared.

"Miss Maudrey will see you now," The receptionist announced, pointing out a door which bore the words "Miss Maudrey, Headmistress" in gold letters.

Once again they all got up, walking towards the room and knocking on the glossy wood door. When a soft voice called them in, Sam took the lead and pushed the door open. Inside was a room painted in warm colours; the floor was soft and luxurious; the walls were covered in calm, neutral paintings; it was hard to think that this existed in the same town as Blackfield.

A woman with light brown hair cut into a bob and laughter lines looked up, "Hello Melanie, LeAnne; I assume this is your mother, Pam and your sister, Samantha?"

"Yes Miss Maudrey," The girls replied in unison, giggling a little.

"And who is this?" Miss Maudrey gestured to Brian who looked slightly in awe of the fancy school.

He coughed, "Brian Hopkins, we spoke on the phone?"

"Ah yes," She replied, her smile wavering a little as she looked him up and down, "Nice to meet you."

"We're here about possibly enrolling Sam?" Pam asked, hugging her daughter close so she was further away from Brian.

Sam squirmed away, scowling, "Well I was dragged here, technically."

Miss Maudrey chuckled pleasantly, assuming that Sam was joking. The rest of the room didn't laugh with her; eyeing Brian with unease and the laughter ended abruptly.

"So, Samantha,"

"Sam."

"Okay, Sam. What talent to you wish to bestow on the school?" She asked, looking up at Sam curiously.

The blonde girl looked down, thinking hard, "I can pick a lock in ten seconds flat!"

"That's not usually the sort of thing we do here," The pleasant tone of Miss Maudrey's voice dropped slightly, "Any other talents?"

"I can-"

"She tap-dances!" Pam cut in, nodding frantically, "And sings!"

"I don't sing!" Sam spoke indignantly, "And I haven't tap danced for over two years!"

"You do sing you silly little girl," Pam hissed, "I've heard you singing in the bathroom every morning."

"That's not serious singing!"

"Why don't we hear some?" Miss Maudrey raised her voice to be heard over the argument.

Sam blinked, "What?"

"Sing us a song," She added, "Anything you like."

"No I'm not going to-"

Pam and Brian both elbowed her form both sides, hard enough that she was doubled over in pain. Sam gave a loud groan and nodded.

"Okay," She wheezed, wincing. Sam took a few slow breaths to steady herself and thought a little. Soon enough the perfect song fell into her head and she opened her mouth.

"_Hello world__  
><em>_Hope you're listening__  
><em>_Forgive me if I'm young__  
><em>_For speaking out of turn__  
><em>_There's someone I've been missing__  
><em>_I think that they could be__  
><em>_The better half of me"_

The room fell silent as a voice no one expected emerged out of Sam. The amount of emotion and feeling she sung with was as if she had been practicing for weeks; the words really seemed to mean something to her. By the time she was finished there wasn't a dry eye in the room (Except for Brian) and she couldn't face any of them.

"Here's your uniform," Miss Maudrey said quietly, affirming Sam's place in the school. From a drawer behind her desk she pulled out a magenta tartan skirt and pale pink blouse.

Sam stared at them with disgust, "Oh hell no!"

**.**

**How do y'all feel about that? Sam hauled up in a prissy boarding school while Freddie has to put up with prisses back in Seattle. WHEN WILL THE LONG LINE OF PRISSES END? Well of course I know, I'm the author ;)**

**Feedback would be greatly apprieciated **


	7. Chapter 6 Drowning

**Hey everyone, I'm sorry this chapter took so long but I'm having big problems with inspiration at the moment. I've not been getting as many reviews with this story as I did on iAm On Top Of The World and I'm not sure why. I know I don't write for the reviews but it would be nice to have some sort of a response, even if it is constructive criticism. In fact I'd love some helpful reviews that can show me where I've been going wrong and why I'm not getting as much of a response. Please help me?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly.**

"Come on Freddie!" A whiney voice shouted through the door to apartment 8D.

Freddie glared at the closed door, "No!"

"Please?" Carly pressed, "For me?"

"Not budging!" He called, checking that the door was still locked.

"Freddie…"

"No!"

"Why not? She's a really nice girl!" Carly pleaded, biting her lip in frustration.

"Carly," Freddie groaned, opening the door to let her in at last, "I've been broken up with Sam for what? Just over a week? And you're already trying to get me to go on a date with another girl?"

Carly rolled her eyes, shifting her weight to her other foot.

"Did I forget to mention that she's missing?"

"Maybe it's time to move on?" She asked, pouting.

He narrowed his eyes, frowning, "Do you even miss her at all?"

Carly's eyes showed a glimmer of hurt and her lips quivered, before the mask was back. Despite everything she'd changed to try and forget her best friend, her attempts to hide it were very similar to the methods used by the blonde haired demon.

"Carly, I-"

"Whatever, date Francesca if you want," Her heels clumped on the wooden flooring as she walked to the door, "See if I care."

Freddie ran after her, meeting the solid door of her apartment, "No, I didn't mean that!" Freddie yelled, suddenly the one on the other side of the door.

Carly's eyes flashed, letting everything go since no-one could see her, "Didn't you?"

"Well I did..." He said, trying the door and finding it unlocked, "But only because I was worried."

"Worried? About me? I'm fine," She denied, picking at her manicured nails.

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

Freddie looked down at her, seeing the scared little girl behind the façade, "Because you've changed."

"Changed?" Carly frowned, giving a slight laugh, "She's only been gone a week, I don't see how I could have-"

"Say it," He replied, staring at her intently. There was a moment of silence while she looked back at him blankly, "Say her name."

"I don't see why-" She murmured, pursing her lips.

"Say it."

The perfectly made up girl looked down at the floor, then up at his concerned face and back down again. The trauma of losing her best friend, which she had worked so hard to cover, was bubbling to the surface and there was nothing she could do about it. Suddenly, the nail she had been picking at ripped, causing something inside of her to snap. Carly leapt to her feet, "I can't!"

"And why is that?" Freddie asked cautiously, seeing this was causing her actual pain to think about.

"I-" Carly winced visibly, clenching her fists, "I miss her, all right?"

"I know you do, I didn't mean to let that slip out before," He sighed, closing his tired lids.

Her dull brown eyes stared unblinkingly at the opposite wall, "I miss the way she would turn up here with no invitation and the way she would eat all my food without asking."

"Yes-"

"I miss coming downstairs in a morning to find her curled up on the sofa, wearing only sweatpants and one of your shirts."

"Carly-"

"I miss her calling people nubs and prisses, without a care in the world."

The tears were coming thick and fast down her ivory cheeks, streaking two lines through Carly's makeup. With every statement she made she took a step closer to Freddie.

"I miss buying her smoothies and doing all my homework twice, just so she didn't get another detention."

"I-"

"I miss the jealousy I felt when she looked at you, wondering if I'll ever have what you two had."

Carly was abruptly very close to him, he could feel her shuddering breaths hot on his cheeks. The room was suddenly very small.

.

The thick wooden door swung shut soundlessly behind Sam. She stood on the plush carpet awkwardly, fingering her stiff pink skirt with apprehension. She didn't have long to comprehend what she was doing however, as the door reopened to reveal the boarding porter, dragging Sam's bulky cases.

"What is in these?" He gasped, dropping them to the ground.

"A large supply of fatcakes," She explained, like it was obvious, "They don't sell facakes here, right?"

"What are fatcakes?"

Sam sighed, wondering what she'd got herself into. Stuck a place where she would be surrounded by daffodils, without Carly or _Freddie_ to help her; her own personal hell. Once again her contemplation was cut short, as two other blonde girls pelted down the hallway towards her. They were wearing identical outfits to that of Sam, but where Sam's blouse was hanging free of her skirt; theirs were tucked in tightly, where Sam had her hair wildly down her back; theirs were styled perfectly into sparkly pink hair bands.

"Sam!" One squealed.

"I can't believe you're here!" The other chimed in.

She groaned, "Yeah, yeah. I'm awesome, you love me, I get it."

Melanie and LeAnne rolled their eyes good naturedly, tipping back their blonde manes and giggling. Giggling was one thing Sam couldn't abide (other than the word "panties".). But she was painfully aware that she would have to endure much more than this, now she was going to be staying in a room with 5 other girls. Resigning herself to this, she promptly picked up her suitcase and strolled away, peeking into the various rooms as she passed. Sam noticed an excess of pink about the place, even the boys' uniform was khaki pants and a pink polo shirt. The bright tones were giving her a headache.

"Sammy, let me show you to our dorm!" Melanie whined, falling into step with Sam, who was trying in vain to get away.

"What, I'm staying with you?" Sam groaned, hastening her pace more "Wasn't seven years enough?"

LeAnne was suddenly at her side, giggling as per usual, "I'm in your dorm too; we're going be like the three musketeers or something!"

"Holy chiz…" She murmured, rubbing her tired eyes. The 24/7 LeAnne and Mel show starts now.

.

"Carly, I know you're upset, but bottling things up isn't good for you," Freddie coaxed, putting a tentative hand on her shoulder.

She closed her red rimmed eyes, "I'm letting it out now, aren't I?"

Freddie didn't know how to reply to her, on one hand it was good that she was finally talking to him, but he had no idea what she could do in this state. He was very aware of her lingering hands and watery gaze, both of which were making him feel very uncomfortable.

"Freddie, I know you love Sam and all that but-"

"Did she tell you that?" He demanded, "I never told _you_ that I loved her, did she tell you before she left?"

"No, she didn't. Why does it matter?" Carly replied, sounding slightly disgruntled.

He sighed again, letting his head drop, "I need some kind of sign that she's out there, some sign that she still loves me and is thinking about me."

"But that doesn't matter though, does it? She's not here anymore… But I am," Carly said, moving closer to Freddie silkily.

"But Carly-"

"You might love her now," Carly said, raising her eyebrows innocently, "But you loved me once."

"This isn't-"

He was stopped short when a pale hand pressed on his shoulder, curling itself around his arm slowly. Freddie's eyes traced up her thin limb warily until he met her eager eyes, alarm bells raging inside his banging head. A slow smile grew on her glossy lips and Carly gravitated towards him automatically. Every minute movement she made was tracked by Freddie and he knew that nothing good could come of this. Finally he placed a hand on her collar bone in order to push her away, but the muddled girl took it as a "go for it". This meant that both her arms wound their way around his neck quickly, yanking Freddie's lips to hers all in a matter of seconds. He was drowning in gooey lips; choking in strong girly perfume; bound by an iron grip. He couldn't get away.

.

**Want to know what happens next? Drop me a review and tell me what you think.**


	8. Sorry :

**Hey guys, sorry if you thought this was an update but sadly not. **

**I'll get right to the point and say that I have chosen to no longer continue this story, this is for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I have my GCSEs starting in just over two weeks which means I'll have to dedicate the majority of my time to revision, homework and such.**

**The other reason is I feel the story is going nowhere and reviews have been lacking which leaves me with no inspiration to continue.**

**But if you have been enjoying the story then I am sorry, but I will be occasionally uploading oneshots and maybe another multi-chap in the future, after my exams are over.**

**Sorry again**

**Riona **


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